Apparatus for lubricating.



J. G. UTZ.

APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING.

APPLICATION 111:0 JULY 30.1913.

1,25 1,941. Patented Jan. 1, 1918.

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APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30.1913.

1,251,941. Patented Jan. 1, 1918.

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I 5 AJAJALMM Q 6- W :17 7 ;7 Jfiam 5 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. UTZ, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THESTANDARD PARTS COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING.

Application filed July 30, 1913.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN G. UTZ, a citizenof the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahogaand State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inApparatus for Lubricating, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to lubricating apparatus and systems of the typeshown in the United States patent to H. F. Maranville #1,()9(3,550,dated May 12, 1911. The object of the invention is to provide a systemor apparatus of this type wherein the engine base or crank case willcontain a very small quantity of oil at any time during the operation ofthe lubricating apparatus while insuring eliicient lubrication under allconditions and in practically all positions of the engine base or crankcase, the lubricating of the engine parts being shown herein asaccomplished by the use of the splash system. A further object of theinvention is the avoidance of overheating the oil, whereby itslubricating qualities are preserved and great etliciency and economy inoperation are made possible. Still further objects of the invention areto provide means and a method whereby the amount of lubrication isautomatically varied in direct proportion to the speed of the engine;also to improve the construction of crank cases in details wherebyincreased efficiency in lubrication is assured. \Vith the foregoingobjects in view the invention may be generally and further defined asconsisting of the combinations of elements embodied in the claims heretoannexed and illustrated in the drawings forming part hereof, whereinFigure 1 represent a side elevation of an engine having my inventionapplied thereto, together with the cooperating parts of a motor vehicle;Fig. 2 represents a plan View of a crank case or engine base with myinvention applied thereto; Fig. 3 a central longitudinal sectional viewthrough said crank case or engine base; Fig. 4 a transverse sectionalview through the central portion of the crank case; Fig. 5 a similarview taken through one of the combined troughs and sediment traps andshowing the relation of the crank and its scoop or dipper to the saidtrough; while Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are sectional views through one of thetroughs and Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1, 1918.

Serial No. 782,006.

showing the manner in which the lubrication is automatically varied inaccordance with the engine speed.

Describing by reference characters the various parts illustrated herein,1 denotes the cylinders, 2 the upper section, and 3 the lower section orbase of the crank case of a multi-cylinder engine, the embodiment shownherein comprising six cylinders. The engine is shown as applied to anautomobile, the hood of which is indicated at 4, the seat at 5, and theradiator at 6, said parts being indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. Theengine cylinders, the upper crank case section, and the parts 4, 5, and6 may be of any convenient or conventional construction. In thepreferred form of my invention, the lower section will be constructedsubstantially as shown herein, such lower section being bolted to theupper section by means of flanges 7 and bolts 8. This lower section isconveniently made as a casting, although pressed metal may be used forthe purpose, if desired.

Extending across the longitudinal central portion of the lower crankcase section are a plurality of narrow trough-like receptacles, one foreach crank 9 and connecting rod 10 of the engine. These trough-likereceptacles are indicated generally at 11 and are arranged with theirmajor diameters at right angles to the length of the base. The upperedges of the troughs are all in the same horizontal plane (when the caris level) above the bottom 3 of the crank case. The bottoms of thereceptacles project through and below the inclined bottom 3 and are eachprovided with a removable clean-out plug 12 threaded thereinto andclosing a hole through which sediment may be removed. The end walls 13are provided with V-shaped notches 14 therein, the bottoms of thesenotches being in substantially the same horizontal plane (when the caris level) while one of the side walls 15 of each trough is provided withan aperture for the reception of an oil supply, the bottom of saidaperture being located at least as high, and preferably above, thebottom of the V-shaped notches 1 1, for a purpose to be explainedhereinafter.

The bottom 3 of the crank case slopes downward] from the troughs 11 neareach end thereof to the central portion, where a. collecting tank orwell 16 is provided for supply to the troughs is interrupted, thetroughs will retain a sufficient quantity of oil for emergency purposesuntil the circulation can be reestablished or brought to normal,

As is Well known to those familiar with the splash system oflubrication, the passage of the scoops or dippers through a body of oilproduces troughs in said body and, when the engine is being driven athigh speed, there is insufficient time for the oil at the sides of thetroughs to flow to and close these troughs before the scoops or dippersagain enter the body of oil. By dischargirg the entering oil at rightangles to the paths of the scoops or dippers and by bringing thedelivery ends of the oil supply branches near the said paths, the flowof oil into the receptacles 11 will not only tend to close the troughsformed by the scoops or dippers, but there will be present, at thelowest point of travel of the scoops or dippers, a transversely movingstream of oil the height whereof (and the consequent depth of theimmersion of the scoops or dippers) varies with the speed of the engine.

The lubricating apparatus herein set forth is efiicient. nct only in theparticulars noted, but in maintaining the supply of oil to the engineparts of the crank case which is at all times comparatively cool andwhich is free from impurities. The amount of oil within the crank caseat any time is very small and this oil moves rapidly to the receptacle16 whence it may be forced through a suitable filter and cooling device(such as shown in said application No. 615,803) back into the crank casetroughs. Owing to the provision of the settling chambers 30, no heavysediment such as might interfere with the operation of the pump willenter the central portion of the reservoir 16 and thence enter the pumpsection pipe. Meanwhile, the float-controlled supply to the receptacle16 serves to replace automatically the oil actually consumed in theengine lubrication.

Should the crank case be tilted at an angle, the operation will not bematerially affected, since such tilting will not vary the relationbetween the oil streams and the cooperating parts. Furthermore,projecting the bodies of the troughs 11 and the body of the receptacle16 below the bottom of the crank case or engine base not onlyfacilitates the removal of the sediment but assists in maintaining thecoolness (and hence preserving the lubricating qualitics) of the oil.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination,with a plurality of cranks and connecting rods of a multi-cylinderengine, of a crank case having above its bottom a plurality oftransversely extending troughs or receptacles, one for each crank, anoil receptacle at and within the central portion of the crank case, saidcase having walls sloping downwardly to said receptacle, means forforcing oil from said receptacle into said troughs, a supply connectioncommunicating with said receptacle, and means for maintaining in saidreceptacle a level of oil below the level in said troughs.

2. The combination, with a plurality of cranks and connecting rods of amulti-cylinder engine, of a crank case having a receptacle at and withinthe central portion of its bottom and longitudinally extendingdownwardly-iuclined walls leading to said receptacle, a plurality oftroughs extending above the inclined portions of the bottom, on eachside of the central receptacle, there being a trough for each crank, anoil supply connection coinmunicatirg with said receptacle. means formaintaining within the said receptacle a level of oil which is below thelevel of oil in the troughs, a pump, a connection between said pump andsaid receptacle. and supply connections leading from the pump to thesaid troughs.

3. The combination, with a crank case having receptacle at the centralportion thereof and having its bottcm inclined downwardly from each endtoward said receptacle and dischargii'ig thereinto, partitions in saidreceptacle forming settling chambers adjacent to the inclined portionsof the bottom. an oil supply connection communicating with the centralportion of the receptacle between said partitions, means for maintaininga level of oil in the central portion of the receptacle below the topsof the said partitions, a pump communicating with the central portion ofthe receptacle, and a supply connection extending from said pump intothe crank case.

4. The ccmbination, with a crank case having a receptacle at the centralportion thereof and having its bottom inclined downwardly from each endtoward said receptacle and discharging thcreinto, troughs located oneach side of said receptacle and above the inclined bottom, partitionsin said receptacle forming settling chambers adja cent to the inclinedportions of the bottom and having their tops below the tops of thetroughs. an oil supply connection communicating with the central portionof the receptacle between said partitions, means for maintaining a levelof oil in the central portion of the receptacle below the tops of thesaid partitions, a pump communicating with the central portion of thereceptacle, and a supply connection extending from said pump to thetroughs.

5. The combination, with a crank case having an inclined bottom and areceptacle into which the inclined bottom drains, of a settling chamberinterposed between the lower end of the inclined bottom and thereceptacle, a pump communicating with the said receptacle, andconnections extending from said pump to the crank case.

6. The combination, with a plurality of cranks of a multicylinderengine, of a crank case having in its bottom a plurality of troughsextending transversely thereof, said troughs having their upper endsprojecting above the bottom and their lower ends projecting below thesame and each having an overflow outlet above such bottom, each of saidtroughs being adapted to contain a body of oil into which each of thecranks may dip as it passes its lower center, and means for supplyingoil to each of said troughs.

7. The combination, with a plurality of cranks of a n'iulti-cylinderengine, of a crank case having in its bottom a plurality of troughsextending transversely thereof, said troughs having their upper endsprojecting above the bottom and their lower ends projecting below thesame and each having an overflow outlet above such bottom and aremovable closure below such bottom, each of said troughs being adaptedto contain a body of oil into which each of the cranks may dip as itpasses its lower center, and means for supplying oil to each of saidtroughs.

8. The combination, with a plurality of cranks of a multi-cylinderengine, of a crank case having in its bottom a plurality of troughsextending transversely thereof, said troughs having their upper endsprojecting above, and their lower ends projecting below, said bottom andeach having an overflow outlet above the crank case bottom, each of saidtroughs being adapted to contain a iody of oil into which each of thecranks may dip as it passes its lower center, and means for supplyingoil to each of said troughs at a point above its discharge outlet and atright angles to the path of travel of the crank.

9. The combination, with a plurality of cranks and connecting rods of amulti-cylinder engine, of a crank case having above its bottom aplurality of transversely extending trough-s, one for each crank, an oilreceptacle within the crank case, means for supplying oil from saidreceptacle to said troughs, means wherebv oil Within the crank caseoutside of said troughs may be conducted into such receptacle, a supplyconnection communicating with said receptacle, means within said crankcase for removing sediment from the oil which is conducted from theinterior of said case to said receptacle, and means for maintaining insaid reccptacle a level of oil below the level of oil in said troughs.

10. The combination, with a crank case having a receptacle thereincomprising a settling chamber and a supply and distributing chamber, ofan oil supply connection communicating with the last mentioned chamber,means for conducting oil from the last mentioned chamber to the crankcase, and means whereby oil accumulating within the crank case may bedelivered to the settling chamber.

11. The combination, with a crank case, of a settling chamber and an oilsupply chamber communicating with the settling chamber, means forconducting oil to the supply chamber of the crank case, and meanswhereby oil accumulating within the crank case may be conducted to thesettling chamber.

12. The combination, with a crank case having a receptacle therewithin,a partition within said receptacle forming a settling chamber and an oilsupply chamber communicating with each other above the top of saidpartition, means for conducting oil from the supply chamber to partswithin or above the crank case, and means whereby oil tending toaccumulate within the crank case may be conducted to the settlingchamher.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

JOHN G. UTZ. WVitnesses:

JOHN B. HULL, BRENNAN B. WEsT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of letentl,

Washington, D. G.

